The Nature of Saving Faith

Recently I wrote a blog in which I said that before faith in Christ can occur, a person must understand the promise of everlasting life which the Lord Jesus makes to the believer. This led to an interesting question from a reader: “Where does it say in the Bible that understanding is a condition for saving faith?”

My initial reaction is to answer that one cannot believe something unless he understands that something. That seems reasonable. For example, do you believe that Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States? To believe that you must understand what the words Washington, D. C., capital,and United States mean. Let’s say you were a member of a remote tribe in the Brazilian rainforest. You had never heard of the United States or Washington, D.C. You did not know what a capital is. If someone managed to get into your remote area and ask you in your own language this question, you would say, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

However, on further reflection, it seems I should do more than appeal to reason. After all, once we go down this path, many will say they find it reasonable that saving faith requires not only understanding and acceptance, but also a willful submission and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, Gordon Clark has shown that it is illogical and unreasonable to say that. But not everyone accepts logic. Many people base their views on what seems reasonable to them.

The Scriptures do teach that understanding is necessary for faith to occur. (And they also teach that submission and commitment are not necessary for faith to occur, but those are separate issues.)

John 11:25-27. The Lord is in conversation with Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died four days earlier. Jesus then says to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He then explains what He means: “He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet he shall live.” That is the promise of bodily resurrection into the kingdom of God for believers. He adds, “And he who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” That is the promise of everlasting life which can never be lost. Then the Lord Jesus asks, “Do you believe this?” The answer Martha gives is filled with the content of her faith: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Martha could not believe what Jesus said without understanding what He was promising.

Luke 16:30-31. The rich man is in torment in the bad part of Hades. He looks over and sees Abraham. He asks Abraham to send someone from the dead to cause his brothers to repent. Abraham speaks not of repentance, but persuasion: “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead” (Luke 16:31). Abraham speaks of persuasion. And what is persuasion? It is being convinced. In this case, it is being convinced from the writings of Moses (the Pentateuch) and the prophets that Jesus is the long-promised Messiah of Israel. Ultimately such belief includes believing the promise found in Moses and the prophets that Messiah will establish His kingdom and will reign over those who believe in Him.

It is impossible to be persuaded of the truth of something if you do not understand what is being said.

But someone might say, “I believe in electricity, though I do not understand how it works.” Believing in the existence of electricity means you have been persuaded that electricity exists. You could not believe in electricity without being so persuaded. Knowing how something works is not the same as understanding that it works.

Some today view saving faith as devoid of any content. For some, saving faith is merely a positive encounter with Jesus. That is not correct. It is important to recognize that in the Bible saving faith, like all faith, has content. Pardon the double negative, but you cannot believe nothing. That is, whenever you believe, you are persuaded that something is true. A feeling is not belief. Love is not faith. Joy is not faith. Remember, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17).

10 Responses

KEN TAMASHIRO

Hi Pastor Bob,

Many Critics of Zane Hodges have misunderstood the man on the deserted Island.

I think in many ways that if that person understands the context of that partial message found in the bottle and believes he is a saved person, but without that understanding, it would mean nothing to him.

Dan Castleberry

Your response on this matter is cause for me to praise God in HIS fullness and power! I am a regular reader of the GES blogs. I have often asked the Lord for simple clarification and affirmation of this declaration being the full statement of the GES. I have often been concerned that there was a GES teaching of “believing” that required no comprehension of WHO Christ is or that I need a Savior … I continued to hope that one day there would come a clear, fresh statement of your foundation on this all important declaration of HIS WORD! Praise — God YOU DID IT!!

With all the “Reformed” distortion of scripture that pervades evangelical teaching the clear simple truth is fresh air fro above. I am an OLD (in age,85, and doctrines) Kentucky Baptist who grew up in the confusion and dissension of works-proving salvation; thanks to C. I. Scofield’s study bible. I had a Calvinist bent mother and a Free Grace preacher dad. He would say he was grateful that heaven would have no sorrow. Otherwise, “mother would cry when she met with those saved apart from Scofield’s errors in the TULIP which is not in scripture”. Such error and division in a flower.

James

It is interesting that such an acknowledgment unwittingly undermines and contradicts this system of theology. Notice for example that only one of the 4 types of ground in the Parable of the sower actually has “understanding” and is the only one that bears ANY fruit as the evidence of actual life:
“From every one who hears the word of the kingdom and does NOT understand it, the wicked one comes and catches away what was sown in his heart: this is he that is sown by the wayside. . . But he that is sown upon the good ground—this is he who hears AND understands the word, who bears fruit also, and produces, one a hundred, one sixty, and one thirty.” (Matt. 13:19, 23)
Moreover, faith that saves involves the “heart” not merely the mind or mere mental assent; see for example the judicial hardening of John 12:40 and Acts 28:27; and the UNREPENTANT “heart” of Rom. 2:5. Moreover, where there is no repentance with faith, there is no salvation but only eternal condemnation: “But, according to thy hardness AND UNREPENTANT HEART, [thou] treasurest up to thyself wrath, in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” [at the Great White Throne]. Which is NO imagined “temporal” wrath, I might add.

James

Your response to my observation that only one of the soils is said to have understanding (and alone bears any fruit as showing life) is: ‘it doesn’t NOT say it’ about soils # 2 &3? You have thereby condemned your system. For by your own reasoning: (1) Where does John’s Gospel “Not Say” that repentance is not required/not an essential part of saving faith? (2) Where do the other Gospels “Not Say” that they don’t have an evangelistic purpose?
It is unworthy of a believer to seek to pit Scripture against Scripture. Better to give up the system. The truth is, repentance toward God implies faith as surely as faith in Christ implies repentance. They are distinguishable but not separable. Scriptural repentance unto salvation is: “the moral judgment of ourselves under the action of the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the discovery of our utter sinfulness, guilt and ruin, our hopeless bankruptcy, our undone condition.” Any “faith” that excludes this repentance (or which does not involve the heart and conscience) is worthless. See Rom. 2:5; Acts 26:20; 17:30; 11:18; Luke 24:47; 15:7, 10. (NO ‘temporal’ deliverance!)
“I am not come to call righteous persons, but sinful ones TO REPENTANCE.”(Luke 5:32); “Then indeed God has to the Gentiles also granted REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE.”(Acts 11:18); “And that REPENTANCE AND REMISSION OF SINS should be preached in his name to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem.”(Acts 24:47)

Timothy Grady

Yours is not an argument From silence , but an argument About silence .

John 20:31 Affirms it’s purpose .

The burden is on you to elicit what you’re affirming . We have shown that metanoia is nowhere asserted biblically as a necessary pre/post condition to receive everlasting life . Not one of your verses are qualified with everlasting considerations . Whereas , all verses that explicitly entail unending duration involve faith alone .

You slid by what IS affirmed in the Parable – “…believe and be saved”. Clear as day -undeniable faith alone .

Faith/belief is intrinsic to every justification context .

Most importantly , we Still have you skirting by what is necessary to believe in order to be certain of eternal life .

Are you objectively certain that you are born again (Please indicate percentages of passing grades in all areas of behavior/fruit/works) ?

As you know I am a solid grace alone, faith alone guy and subscribe to a view of Biblical belief that it is … being “persuaded that the proffered proposition is true – corresponds to reality, – can be trusted” and I agree that some de minimis grasp of what is being offered to the believer in Christ is absolutely compelling, but also am deadly afraid of the Fallacy of the Beard being introduced into the saving message. – Exactly how much do I need to understand? How complete and accurate must my understanding be? Where is the line??! Does it vary by my age (child versus college graduate)? Or by intelligence!, etc. Practically speaking, in our native (heart) language this is not generally an issue (but with growing post-modernism it is increasing as one), but in cross-cultural missions, for example, it is a vital issue.
Blessings.

Tom Barrett

The idea that Jesus knew everyone name while he was bleeding and dying on the cross shouts he knew you by name and she’d his blood for everyone! I again state that Jesus knew everyone from day one in creation, of all ages from beginning to end! He paid for all sins of everyone from beginning birth to last birth of man kind as he lost every drop of his blood then he died! That proves he paid for all my sins! That’s why I know he died for me! I get to go to heaven because of his sacrifice for my sins and he paid it all! Do you believe this was done for you? If you believe you walk the streets of gold with me when you die!

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